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John B. Kelly, Jr. was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia. He started rowing on the Schuylkill River when he was eight years old. He was on the varsity rowing team at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1947 and 1949, Kell famously won the Henley Regatta Diamond Sculls [1]. While it is frequently suggested that he was pushed into rowing, he did continue to compete until 1960 and had been rowing on the day he died in 1985. He won a bronze medal in the 1956 Olympics.
In 1947, Jack was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award for leadership, character, sportsmanship and the ideals of amateurism.
jack was born in 1927; he grew up during the Depression. While his family did well, prosperity was not a common theme. He knew how lucky he was to be part of a family that could support his athletic pursuits.
Kell was president of the U.S. Olympic Committee when he died in 1985. In his honor, the Olympic Committee established [2] The name of the street on which historic Boathouse Row and the statue of his father sits was re-name Kelly Drive in his honor.
This week's featured connections are Canadian notables: Kel is 22 degrees from Donald Sutherland, 19 degrees from Robert Carrall, 18 degrees from George Étienne Cartier, 21 degrees from Viola Desmond, 30 degrees from Dan George, 22 degrees from Wilfrid Laurier, 16 degrees from Charles Monck, 16 degrees from Norma Shearer, 26 degrees from David Suzuki, 24 degrees from Gilles Villeneuve, 23 degrees from Angus Walters and 20 degrees from Fay Wray on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
K > Kelly > John Brendan Kelly Jr.
Categories: Olympic Bronze Medalists | Rowing | James E. Sullivan Award | 1948 Olympic Summer Games | 1952 Olympic Summer Games | 1956 Olympic Summer Games | 1960 Olympic Summer Games | United States, Olympic Committee Members | Jack Kelly Fair Play Award | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania